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| From its first May Day parade in 1975, In the Heart of the BeastÕs annual spring extravaganza has become a beloved Minneapolis tradition. After twenty-five years, it now attracts 50,000 people, who emerge from their houses after winter to celebrate spring. Drawing on the long history of international May Day traditions, this event honors two strands in human history. One strandÑthe "green root" of the dayÑhonors the ancient rituals that heralded the coming of spring. The other strand honors the dayÕs "red root," the history of labor struggles with which the day has been associated since the 1886 Haymarket Strike in Chicago. |
The Tree of Life! May Day puppet, 1991 |
 Sky, May Day puppet |
The theatreÕs signature larger-than-life puppets are focal points of the parade. Created and directed by the theatre in collaboration with hundreds of community volunteers, the May Day parade is a miracle of artistic vision, logistics, and generosity. |
| The theatreÕs day-long celebration includes the parade, always based on a timely theme, followed by a ceremony and a festival. The parade marches on Bloomington Avenue to Powderhorn Park in South Minneapolis. At the park, the theatre enacts a dramatic puppet ceremony, staged on the shore of Powderhorn Lake, where thousands of people watch from the hillside. |  Flower bearers, May Day puppets, 1977 |
 Prairie, May Day puppet, 1994 |
The four large puppetsÑSky (above), Prairie (left), Woods, and RiverÑstand as ancestor sentinels at the ceremony. The performance varies each year, depending on the theme. But the ceremony always culminates with a flotilla of canoes rowing the Sun puppet across the lake, accompanied by great cheers from the audience. The SunÕs arrival sparks the raising of the giant Tree of Life puppet. Spring has returned! Everyone is rejuvenated! Music, food, dancing, and socializing follow into the evening along the shores of Powderhorn Lake. |
intro | puppets | events | essay | WEISMAN